San Diego organizations come together to celebrate Early Music Month

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra performs at a La Jolla Music Society concert March 10 as part of the "Sounds of the Baroque" series.

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra performs at a La Jolla Music Society concert March 10 as part of the "Sounds of the Baroque" series. (Sian Richards)

Beth Wood

Serendipity and a shared passion for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach have inspired an unprecedented concert series from three well-established San Diego arts organizations. “Sounds of the Baroque” presents four early-music concerts, Thursday through Tuesday.

“Initially it was a nail-biting experience, hoping we could pull this off,” said Greta Treadgold, president of San Diego Early Music Society.

Last September, Treadgold realized that for this March’s Early Music Month, San Diego Early Music Society wasn’t alone in scheduling Bach-centered programs. La Jolla Music Society and Bach Collegium San Diego were also planning to honor the revered composer, born March 21, 1685.

The planned concerts — two on the same date — all featured respected artists. They include Toronto’s Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the San Diego debut of Berlin’s Akademie Für Alte Musik (AKAMUS) and the pairing of soprano Nell Snaidas and violinist Julie Andrijeski.

It all started with an ad trade. Over the years, the three San Diego organizations have placed ads featuring their upcoming concerts in each other’s programs. While preparing for an ad meeting, Treadgold noticed the convergence of concerts.

A flurry of phone calls and meetings ensued, as Treadgold sought to coordinate with La Jolla Music Society and Bach Collegium.

Rosenthal suggested the concerts be preceded by lectures. UC San Diego professor Steven Cassedy will speak before tonight’s performance by acclaimed jazz pianist Brad Mehldau. The other lectures will be by former Union-Tribune classical music critic James Chute.

Mehldau will play six works by Bach and three of his own compositions, which use “The Well-Tempered Clavier” as a jumping-off point.

“I will play Bach’s piece directly before the piece of mine it inspired; in this way, the listener can hear the connections in real time,” Mehldau explains in the La Jolla Music Society program.

Saturday and Sunday Bach Collegium concerts feature Snaidas, a busy vocalist in New York, and violinist Andrijeski, a music professor at Ohio’s Case Western.

“The stars were aligned,” Treadgold said. “All groups promoted each other’s concerts. All of us worked very hard to make this happen. Everybody involved deserves credit for this. It was way beyond an ad trade — a true group effort.”

In addition to observing Early Music Month, San Diego Early Music Society is celebrating its 35th anniversary by presenting AKAMUS on Tuesday. The esteemed German chamber orchestra is also marking its 35th year. Using instruments of the baroque period, the musicians will explore pieces centered on nature.

Friday’s La Jolla Music Society concert showcases a return performance by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Also playing early-music instruments, Tafelmusik employs modern technology to illustrate the craftsmanship of the era through a multimedia presentation.

Treadgold credits this collaboration in part to San Diego’s flourishing music scene. With ambitious programs presented by three organizations, the project required a lot of dedication and coordination.

“Synergy between (arts) groups is the future,” she said. “If we can work together, there’s no limit to what can happen in this town.”